Crystal Clear
by WhimsyTheTurtle
Summary: A series of stories in which Alicia fills the role of the replacement marriage candidate instead of Yue. Will start out with early parts of the relationships, eventually moving onto the relationships, marriages, and beyond.
1. Max & Alicia 1

A/N: Alicia is my favorite bachlorette in Rune Factory 2. I just find her to be the most interesting female character. But it's a shame that she and Mana have no chance of getting married if you don't choose them :P So here is a series that will explore Alicia as a romantic option for the other bachelors after Kyle steals away their lady loves like the little woman-stealing romeo he is XD

But for the sake of not sounding repetitive, I won't be mentioning their canon love interests much, otherwise every chapter will have the same "I lost my love to Kyle" thing, and that will just get repetitive :P Just assume that either Kyle has married or is close to marrying the appropriate lady-character for each man. We'll start with the beginnings of the relationships, and I'll write farther points of each pairing as I get inspiration. I'd also like to include some chapters where Alicia is the mother of the various child characters, and some with her thoughts/role if Kyle marries Rosalind. I'll happily take suggestions if you have any :) A little extra inspiration is always welcome :D

Anyways, this should be the only long author's note. Happy reading!

AAaaaaand I made a mistake and uploaded the same chapter twice, so that's been fixed now XD Sorry about that!

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**Max&Alicia 1: For the Greater Good**

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Alicia had always secretly hated the Dance festival. At the very least it tended to be a good business day for her, though. Several of the village girls had met with her (Mana even being so eager as to rouse her from sleep at the crack of dawn) and paid to have their love fortunes told for the day. Would they be asked to dance? By who? By how many gentlemen? And that part was all well and good.

But the fact remained that after the excitement of the morning preparations, Alicia would spend much of the rest of the festival alone. No one would ask her to dance, and she could either watch from the side-lines, secretly brewing bitterness towards even her closest friends, or she would walk the abandoned streets of Alvarna to sulk in her own eternally single solitude.

For the moment, she hadn't decided she wanted to do either of those things, standing by the clinic as music filled the plaza and the excited couples began to fill the area around the fountain.

"I can't believe you were right!" a voice squealed unexpectedly from her side.

Alicia jumped, but tried to make it look like she was just readjusting her hat, "Of course I was right Cammy. My predictions always are."

The small girl giggled, "Yeah but…you have to admit, seeing Dorothy and Barrett dancing together is kinda…farfetched."

Alicia looked back out to the plaza to see that, in fact, the two were dancing in one of the far corners, both blushing, but…doing an admirable job despite both their apparent lack of knowing how to dance in the first place. Dorothy rarely asked for predictions for herself except occasionally to find her little sister. Said little sister, on the other hand, was always asking questions about Dorothy.  
><em>"When will my sister get married?"<br>"When do I get to be an aunt?"  
>"Barrett? Are you <em>positive_ you read the prediction right? Try again, just to be sure."_

It was a little exasperating, but Alicia could appreciate Cammy's concern for her sister's happiness. After all, what else were siblings for?

Speaking of siblings, Alicia turned her attention to another odd couple gracing the plaza streets. Ray, her quiet and somewhat shy brother, for the second year in a row had garnered enough courage to ask Rosalind to dance. Now if he would only ask her to dates in between festivals… It lifted Alicia's spirits a little to see him smiling. She didn't often show it, but she did want him to be happy at least as much as Cammy wished for Dorothy. Even if he _was _choosing to be happy with the town's spoiled smarter-than-thou _princess_.

Taking her gaze off the couple, she gave Cammy a smirk, "Hasn't Roy asked you to dance yet?"

Cammy's face twisted into a hilarious grimace that only a child could pull off, "EWWWW!"

And just as planned, she scurried away as far from the dance as possible, making exaggerated gagging sounds as she dramatically stumbled along the path. She would be seeking out her friend soon enough, though. Out of sheer boredom if nothing else.

For her part, Alicia had had about enough of the music and merriment for today. She was already starting to feel sick with envy. Even Mana, who had no suitor, at least got to dance with her father, the two of them laughing and smiling as they twirled near the stairs. So with an underappreciated dramatic turn on her heel, she walked away, leaving the plaza far behind. She walked a ways without purpose, past the shops and Kyle's farm. Perhaps she would head for Alvarna Pond. It would be quiet there, and she could wallow in self-pity without being disturbed.

But her path to the pool was unexpectedly blocked by a pacing blond under the trees. Alicia was puzzled for a brief moment, as every year prior Max would be seen dancing with Julia until the sun set, but then she recalled having seen Julia dancing with Kyle. It hadn't registered at first, even if it was unexpected, but seeing Max alone on such an important festival day finally brought front and center how odd it was to see them apart.

The thought brought a sense of amusement to Alicia's otherwise blue mood. If there was one person in the village that she thought less of than Rosalind (at least the girl had a good sense in men), it was the woman's cowardly older brother. It didn't help that he was one of her most out-spoken skeptics.

"Missing something?" she asked coyly, finally announcing her presence, and bringing his pacing to a sudden halt.

His face flashed annoyance briefly before a figurative light-bulb lit above his head, "Alicia, haven't you a partner to dance with?"

Her amused expression immediately shifted into a frown. Who did he _think _she would dance with?

"I'll take your silence as a 'no'," he tucked his hands behind his back, expression solemn, "In that case, perhaps you would grant me the pleasure of being your dance partner for the afternoon?"

She crossed her arms defiantly, "And why would I ever consider that a pleasure?"

Max was starting to look agitated again as he shifted his weight, though by his wary glances in the plaza's direction, she quickly realized he was not irritated at her.

"Consider it not for yourself, then, but for the greater good."

Her eyebrows rose, "Greater good? I fail to see how—Wait…" she gasped, "You want to spy on Julia, don't you."

Max took a step back at the accusation as Alicia tried hard not to outright laugh at his expense.

"No," he answered sharply, "I was…not expecting to dance with Julia this afternoon. There is no need for me to keep tabs on her."

Alicia had to take a moment to process that. Had something been going on between Julia and Kyle for so long that Max had given up? Inwardly she berated herself for not paying better attention, but the more she thought about it, the more instances of a new, blossoming relationship between the farmer and the bath-house keeper that really wasn't so new after all.

But if he wasn't wanting to dance to look after his apparent 'ex', then there was only one other person he could possibly care enough about to warrant such extreme measures as dancing with the town fortune teller that he was normally so adamant about being a charlatan.

"No! Absolutely not!" Alicia snapped between gritted teeth, "If you wish to keep an eye on my brother today, then you will have to find some binoculars and climb a tree!"

Max didn't even flinch, "That is why this is for the greater good! You don't exactly have the most favorable impression of Rosalind either, as you've clearly shown. Together, we can agree to watch for the well-being of _both_ our siblings.

Alicia hated how much his idea both made perfect sense and made no sense at all. She tapped her fingers idly, glaring at the man for a good thirty seconds as she weighed the one pro against the overwhelming cons.

"Fine…we shall…cooperate for now."

"For the good of our younger siblings?" Max offered her his arm. Alicia slowly took it.

"For the good of our younger siblings," she gave a curt nod, and together they walked stiffly to the plaza.

Max stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, locating their targets, before leading her into the plaza and offering a polite bow, "Shall we."

"If we must," she sighed, and the dance began.

Those near enough to notice their entrance them gave the couple odd looks…except for Mana who's face lit like a firework. Alicia mouthed an annoyed _'not a word'_ in the younger girl's direction, to which Mana only giggled.

She and Max maneuvered via dance to the other side of the plaza where they could be nearest Rosalind and Ray without the couple noticing the presence…at least not immediately. For now the younger couple seemed to be contently enjoying one another's company as though there was no one else in the entire world but the two of them. Alicia was starting to feel a little sick again. Happy for her brother, but mostly sick…

Still, from this distance, it was hard to pick up any of their conversation. So mostly Alicia and Max had little else to do but dance, and occasionally duck into the street whenever it seemed that Rosalind or Ray would look their way.

"I'm pleasantly surprised," Max mused, "I wasn't expecting you to dance as well as you are, as I've never actually seen you dance before."

Her head snapped from observing her brother to his almost smug face. She glared, and answered with a huff, "Surely you didn't think my _mother _taught Ray to dance, did you?"

"Hmph, fair enough." There was a pause, then he cleared his throat, "Well?"

"Yes?"

"How is my dancing?" he flashed a dazzling, if not expectant, smile.

She supposed one back-handed compliment deserved another, "You are certainly a better dancer than Ray."

The ending '_which isn't saying much'_ being left unsaid, but completely understood.

"I should certainly hope so," he scoffed.

His eyes suddenly widened, and he swept her out of sight again with a muttered, "Drat."

"Did they see us?" Alicia asked incredulously.

Her answer came in the form of Rosalind storming into view with Ray shyly following behind.

"Max! What do you think you're doing?!" the periwinkle-haired girl demanded, stomping her foot, and effectively stopping the dance as all eyes turned towards the source.

"Why dancing of course!" Max gave his sister another bright smile.

"It _is_ the Dance Festival," Alicia added. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ray was also mildly annoyed, but more than anything seemed exasperated.

"My relationships are my business," Rosalind snapped, jabbing a finger into her brother's chest. All the while Max never stopped smiling.

"Dear sister, you must be mistaken. I simply noticed that our dear friend Alicia hadn't a partner to the dance this year, and took compassion on her plight."

Alicia felt her own smile starting to become strained as she resisted the urge to jab him in the ribs.

Rosalind glanced the fortune teller's way suspiciously, "I sincerely doubt that."

Ray sighed, "We appreciate your concern, really," he turned to Rosalind, "It's nice our older siblings care enough about us to put aside their differences like this, don't you think?"

Rosalind's irritated expression softened a bit at his prompting, and she let out a long sigh, "It also isn't fooling anyone...It was a valiant effort, but you've been caught, so you no longer need to put on this act," she gave her brother one last warning glare before turning back to her date, "Ray? Shall we return to the dance?"

"I would love to," offered his arm, and Alicia felt a glow of warmth at his smile as the two of them returned to dancing.

"He used to offer to take me every year," she commented absently, watching the couple twirl away. She realized she had never really paid attention to how great a dancer her brother had become. She was proud…and a great teacher. She'd been so focused on her own loneliness, she hadn't been able to fully embrace her brother's happiness. But watching the couples dance now…didn't feel as empty as it had earlier today.

Max gave her a surprised look, "I don't remember ever seeing you dance with him before?"

"I always turned him down," she waved her hand dismissively, "I was too embarrassed to admit the only person that wanted to dance with me was my baby brother," she blinked away the pressure building up behind her eyes before it could become tears, "Is it wrong that now I wish I had taken him up on the offer?"

Max followed her gaze back to their younger siblings, "No. I know exactly what you mean…"

He quickly cleared his throat, "But just so we're clear, I still don't fully approve of Ray…quite yet."

"Of course," she nodded firmly in agreement.

"Well," he smiled, perhaps a little more genuinely than before, "Shall we?"

He offered his hand, which she eyes suspiciously, "You're serious?"

"We're still the only two here that don't have partners. We may as well."

Alicia rolled her eyes, but accepted the offer gracefully, this time without glancing in Ray's direction every ten seconds…now it was more like every thirty seconds, and only so she could see him smiling.


	2. Jake & Alicia 1

A/N: I realized after I wrote this how completely unlikely this pairing would be. And for that reason, it's quickly becoming my favorite of the series XD They're both so adorably stubborn!

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**Jake&Alicia 1: Dress-Code**

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Alicia's wardrobe choice had always been a source of polarizing opinions in Alvarna. You were either admirable of her confidence to wear such an ensemble or scandalized by it. There was not much in the way of middle-ground among the townsfolk other than everyone was just…used to it by now.

Jake, for his part, leaned more towards disapproval, though not for the same reasons most did. There was nothing wrong with the dress itself, Jake liked to _think_ he was above such shallow thoughts, but rather what the garment was meant to do disturbed him greatly.

From the perspective of her business, it was very…logical. Human men were predominantly uninterested in fortune-telling; either by their selfish ambition encouraging them defy fate however possible or their cowardice making them afraid of the future altogether. But if a fortune-teller wore an eye-catching purple top with a midriff and low neckline, many would-be skeptics were all too happy to pay a few coin to have their palms read.

Jake was more disgusted at what he saw as an obvious exploitation of human weakness than he was at the outfit itself.

Judging by the glint in Alicia's eyes as she glanced up at him from under the shadow of her hat, she knew what his opinion was but still found as much amusement in his disapproval as she had when she first started coming to the Inn to do business during the cold winter months a few years ago.

After all, a customer-luring dress couldn't work its magic if it had to hide behind a heavy cloak. His frown deepened.

As much as he was loathe to admit it, business was always slightly better at the Inn when Alicia came. She kept the customers entertained with her readings and conversation, resulting in more meals and drinks purchased from Egan's kitchen, which kept the elven man happily busy each winter evening.

Presently, Alicia excused herself from the company of the guests and approached the door where Jake had paused to brush the slush off his boots and remove his winter coat. He had been trying to be quick this time, to escape her inevitable greeting and subsequent request that he knew was coming. But every night he just wasn't quite quick enough to retreat back upstairs before—

"Jake, welcome home!" Alicia greeted with a much-to-broad smile. Of course she positioned herself _just so_ he would have an awful time trying to get past her to the stairs without outright shoving her out of the way. The displeasure radiating off of him was almost tangible.

"Out of my sight, human," he warned, knowing full well his words fell on deaf ears.

"I was wondering if you could do me a _little_ favor."

At least she had stopped attempting tedious small-talk before getting to the point.

"No," he tried again.

"It's just a little thing!" Alicia insisted, as though he didn't already know damn well what she wanted.

Jake glared at her, and she batted her eyes back at him, and neither expression had any effect on the other person resulting in a most peculiar staring contest that lasted for far too long.

Ultimately, though, the unwinnable battle of wills was brought to a close by Egan clearing his throat and passing his own judgment.

"Jake, would you walk Alicia home, please?"

Jake shifted his gaze to his father, eyes narrowing. Egan fixed him with a stern look, a silent reminder of the lecture he received _last _winter when this first started to become an issue. It would be shameful to allow a woman to walk home in the dark. …Even if she were just walking a few hundred feet across a very small, very peaceful, very _safe _village.

Still glowering poisoned daggers at his father's retreating back as he returned to the customers, Jake pulled his coat back over his arms as Alicia happily retrieved her own cloak from the rack by the door.

But the worst was yet to come…

"Ready?" Alicia asked silkily as she slipped her arms around one of his. Jake refused to give her the satisfaction of a flinch, even though every fiber of his body wanted to propel itself in the opposite direction as fast as possible. If he _didn't_ let her hold his arm, this chore would take three times as long as she would insist on making scene on how slippery the paving stones were, probably trip, probably insist she had hurt her ankle, and then definitely demand he carry her the rest of the way. Which was at least fifty times worse than letting her quietly hold his arm for a few minutes.

So out into the cold they went. At least the weather was calm tonight. Alicia pulled her cloak tightly shut around her front to hide her otherwise naked stomach. In the past she had claimed she could use magic to keep herself warm, but Jake had always been able to see how hard it was for her to move after standing by the docks all day when the temperature started to drop in fall. She was a fortune teller, not a magician. And even her fortunes were questionable as far as being 'magical' was concerned.. In that regard, perhaps it was best that she moved her business inside the Inn when the weather was bad.

Not that he cared, of course…

"This is nice, don't you think?"

Jake gave her a side-long glance, wondering when their unspoken agreement to never speak had been discarded.

As usual, his looks of annoyance were completely disregarded as she went on, "I get customers without getting frostbite, your father gets happier customers, you get to pretend you're a gentleman—"

"You wouldn't get frost bite if you dressed appropriately for the weather," he commented haughtily.

"Sometimes fashion has its price."

"Sometimes frostbite does too, human."

This time it was Alicia's turn to flinch, "Thank you, _mother_, but I know how to take care of myself."

They arrived at the door to the clinic, and she finally released his arm, but paused before touching the handle to give him a sly smile, "But I'm touched that you care so much about my well-being. Thank you."

Jake might have blushed if his face wasn't already red from the cold. She retreated inside with a giggle before the startled half-elf could debate the falsehood of her accusation.


	3. Barrett & Alicia 1

A/N: Dang, this one turned out to be a lot more...depressing than I planned for it too O_o I somehow managed to shovel a novel's worth of life-changing events for an entire village into a single paragraph XP Oh the stories I could write...Fortunately, I'm not very good at writing angst, so I shall probably abstain XD

On the plus side, I have a lot more planned for this pairing than I do the other two :P So yay for plot!

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**Barrett&Alicia 1: Weight of the World**

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Every person had some innate level of magic. In most people, this power was minute, but even with very little a person could use arcane tomes written by more experienced magicians to cast very powerful spells, and they could increase their potential to use magic by practicing it.

Alicia had figured this out at an early age, and perhaps had been born with a little extra magical talent that most people don't have. A childhood passing interest in telling fortunes to her friends started to become serious as she realized her readings came true considerably more often than anyone else's playful predictions. By twelve years old, she could predict the weather without fail, and as she went through her teen years, she practiced this skill into seeing more complex matters in her mind's eye such as missing items and people or the state of a person's heart.

That didn't mean she didn't completely wing it sometimes, but she liked to think she had good instincts even when she had to improvise a little.

More recently, with some study into a new book she had secretly bought from Yue, Alicia had discovered how she could expand her natural talents. She was quite proud to admit she had gotten good enough that she could actually change the weather (half the time). And there had not been a rainy festival day since.

But now, she was ready to take things to the next step.

Only problem was, she didn't exactly have the materials she needed…yet.

"See, it says so right here," she drew her finger along a line of text, "Focusing your magic through an object makes it stronger and more accurate."

Barrett raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, "And?"

"I need something to channel my energy. A crystal ball, for example!"

"Ask Yue to find one for you, then."

"Are you aware of how expensive pure crystal is? Trust me, I've already tried to go through her or I wouldn't be here now!"

"I don't have any crystal. If I did, I'm sure I would have a better use for it than giving it to you."

"I can do without for now. I was thinking I could use glass for a start."

"I don't craft glass."

Alicia sighed in exasperation, dropping the book on the park bench to put her hands on her hips, "And neither does anyone else in town. But if anyone around here can figure it out, it's _you_."

Barrett glared at her. He was known to be something of a jack of all trades. Swordfighting, weapon's crafting, building, even carving small trinkets out of wood and gold and translating ancient dead languages, he was good at just about everything he did and picked up new skills quickly. But while he had great potential to be helpful, he seemed keen on avoiding helping anyone as much as possible. For being the Mayor's son, he certainly didn't act like he cared for the well-being of the townsfolk that much.

Alicia, however, would not take no for an answers, "Just think, though! My readings will be that much more accurate if I have something to focus on!"

"You mean your love fortunes? I can't say I'm all that concerned."

She pouted, "I could also make more accurate predictions of the future in general."

"Hypothetically."

"I'm just saying it's worth a shot, especially since glass comes so cheap. I'll even pay you for your trouble."

She expected Barrett to immediately shoot her down again, but instead he stayed quiet, looking somewhere off into the distance. Maybe he was planning to just ignore her until she went away…no Barrett was more the type to just walk away when he was done with you. So she waited as he considered, hoping against hope that maybe he would take her request seriously and she wouldn't have to try and bribe him with a week of stormy weather.

"Under one condition," he said at last, staring her down firmly. Alicia gave a hesitant nod. "If the glass ball does what it's supposed to, then you will learn to predict what I ask you to predict."

She supposed that didn't sound absolutely awful. A bit coercive, but at least he had some faith in her abilities. She smirked, "Assuming I can't already predict it. What did you have in mind?"

"You will learn how to predict when any of the townsfolk will be in danger."

Alicia felt the color draining from her face. Well that was a tall order. Not something she had never considered, but rather something she had never been too anxious to try.

"If you're going to learn to predict the future, then you are going to use that skill to keep people from getting hurt. I'm not going to take up glass work just so you can make more money."

"That sounds…reasonable," she nodded tersely, "I suppose it would be bad form to ask for payment for such a prediction?"

"What do you think?"

She uttered a heavy sigh. It was just one thing…even if it put a huge weight on her shoulders.

"Fine. We have a deal."

"I'm going to need materials for the glass."

Alicia rolled her eyes and procured her very modest money pouch, "This should be enough to cover starting expenses…not including training of course, but I'm going to leave that up to you."

He pocketed the money with a nod, "It may be a few weeks."

"I can wait…but no danger-prevention predictions until I have a glass ball to work with."

"Fair enough, he turned to walk away, "I'll let you know when I've made progress."

"Good luck!" she called after him, but stayed by the park bench for a long while after he left in contemplation.

To predict the future health and wellness of her neighbors…it was certainly a noble thought. Their village was peaceful so long as you stayed out of the wilds, there wasn't much that _could _hurt a person. But she was one of the few in her generation old enough to remember some of the tragedies that befell their town in the past. Tanya's husband never coming back from the mountains, Gordon's wife wasting away with disease as her own mother fought valiantly to save her life while battling with the grief of a husband that had moved on to 'better' things. She could even just barely remember the mayor's wife walking out on her family when she and Byron didn't see eye to eye, Julia's parents being slain by rampaging monsters, Madam De Sainte-Coquille falling suddenly ill in the chill of winter, Jake's mother found murdered by patrons of her husband's inn, and that Mana's mother had died during child-birth.

Since becoming an adult, there hadn't been another tragedy. But even Alvarna could not be peaceful and safe forever. This deal was already beginning to make her feel sick. She needed to sit down.

Alicia preferred the harmless fun of a love prediction, and the neutral practicality of knowing if the village should prepare for bad weather before storm clouds had even appeared on the horizon. What Barrett was asking…felt like she was holding the lives of everyone else in her hands. That they could live or die depending on the accuracy of her prediction and what she chose to do with that information. If she didn't know about it, then it wasn't on her head or her conscience when bad things happened. Maybe Barrett cared more about the townsfolk than she had given him credit for, but that didn't make this any easier.

"Alicia?" she tilted her head just enough to see Cecilia's concerned face beyond the brim of her hat, "Are you all right? You're shaking?"

The fortune teller immediately hugged her arms tightly to herself, "I'm fine, just…deep in thought."

"About what?"

A sigh, "The implications of knowing what the future holds."


	4. IWAIAGS 1

A/N: I thought it might be appropriate if I dealt with the game's other bachelor Ray as well. So I'm also including a series of stories centered around the relationship of Ray of Yue, but from Alicia's perspective. There's not much RayxYue in this one, it's more of the set-up for all of it.

Merry Christmas everyone :D :D :D

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**In Which Alicia is a Good Sister 1: Shattered Normalcy**

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In all honesty, everyone saw it coming. But that didn't make it any less hard. Any less…wrong.

Any less…

Alicia grabbed the pillow off her bed and screamed into the mass of wool as loud and long as her lungs would hold out. Her carefully manicured nails nearly tore a hole through thin fabric she gripped it so hard, and all about the room were strewn blankets, cushions, and anything else unfortunate enough to get caught in her warpath.

She had half a mind to descend on Kyle's farm like a pyroclastic cloud and just burn the whole thing to the ground. Preferably with Kyle and Rosalind inside.

It was only what they deserved for the scene they caused just earlier that morning.

Everyone knew that Rosalind's affections had steadily turned from Ray to Kyle over the course of the past few years. And Kyle's own feelings seemed obvious to just about everyone but himself. Eventually the uppidty De Sainte-Coquille girl had sought to force Kyle to make a move and returned to her first love with an optimistic smile from Ray and a skeptic eyeroll from Alicia. She loathed the other woman all the more for using her brother in such a shameless manner, but she kept her mouth clamped shut for Ray's sake, secretly holding out a single string of hope that she was wrong.

But of course she wasn't, she was a fortune teller after all, so she could never be wrong. Alicia was never fooled either. Every dinner Rosalind spent at their home she gazed off into space more than bothered to make any discussion. Unless Kyle's name was mentioned, naturally. Ray had tried. Oh how he tried to win her back. Even going so far as to propose marriage despite many warnings from their mother and scoldings from herself. But even days before the wedding even _he _had to see that her heart just wasn't in it.

It took wedding bells for Kyle to figure out his own feelings. Alicia would have thought he'd have the decency to just realize it was too late. But no. No, he had to go and make an even more horrible scene of what was already a very tragic charade. She couldn't even remember seeing them leave the church, she could only see her little brother alone at the altar. He looked so…defeated. Not a single emotion crossed his face as he wavered on his feet, despite Gordon's failed attempt to bring some levity to a wedding ceremony that had fallen as silent as a mortuary. The rest of the De Sainte-Coquille family had the decorum to not say a word as they followed Rosalind out.

Alicia and the rest of the guests were snapped from their own stupor as Natalie practically teleported to her son's side before he collapsed completely. The doctor only had to glance at her oldest child for Alicia to join them, and the two women whisked him away, the chatter of village gossip only rising once the church doors closed behind them.

Hours had passed sense them. Alicia did not know, nor care how the rest of the day went for everyone else. Ray had locked himself in his room, she had followed suit shortly after, and their mother had been rearranging vials of medicine since her children had disappeared.

The lonely silence, however, was finally becoming too much. Alicia's restlessness would destroy her furniture if she didn't do something soon. So with a rough slam of her bedroom door, she marched downstairs. Her mother paused at the sight of her, both bearing matching expressions of pent-up frustration and hurt.

"This. What can I do with this," Alicia demanded as she picked up her mother's mortar and pestle.

Natalie wordlessly pulled a bundle of dried herbs that were hanging above the window and spread them on the surface of a nearby counter, and watched as Alicia promptly began grinding them into a fine powder.

"That actually looks very therapeutic," the doctor sighed after a moment, finding another mortar and pestle stashed in her cupboards and joining her daughter's side along the counter.

"I don't suppose these weeds are poisonous," Alicia muttered, dumping some of the powder into a jar.

Natalie smiled ruefully, "Those are hardly fitting thoughts for a doctor to have, Alicia."

"But I'm not a doctor, so I can think whatever I please."

There was a knock at the locked office door, but Natalie didn't look up as she called, "Is there a problem?"

"Special delivery for the doctor!" Yue's much to cheery voice hurt Alicia's ears, but her mother politely went to the door and invited the young merchant inside. To her credit, Yue's smile was less saleswoman and more…human than Alicia was used to seeing it as she set her wares out on the front counter for Natalie to inspect. Alicia wandered into the doorway between the medicine room and the front lobby as a thought occurred to her.

"A few weeks ago you mentioned some new medical practices in some of the villages along your route."

Yue grinned, "That would be correct."

"Next time you visit those places, would you ask the physicians there to give us some of their notes," she swallowed the lump in her throat, "Ray needs some more reading material."

Yue glanced at the staircase and gave a curt nod, "Not a problem. I'll write to the other doctors straight away so that the literature will be ready for pick-up."

Alicia caught her mother giving her a small smile before she turned to address their guest, "That would be lovely. I'll be happy to pay you for your trouble."

Yue tilted her head to the side, glancing at the stairs again, "I'll only charge for the delivery. About 30 gold should cover it."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, I'm not actually doing the work on this one," she grinned, "Though if other doctors start to get a similar idea, who knows, I may make a business out of it…in that case consider this your free sample."

Alicia rolled her eyes as Natalie paid for the wares she had ordered and graciously shook the merchant's hand, "Thank you for your help, as always. Do you need any more medicine for your travels?"

"Now that you mention it—"

And for a moment, as Natalie and Yue haggled over the worth of medicinal herbs and ointments, there was a glimpse of normal life again.


	5. Max & Alicia 2

A/N: So I suddenly realized its been almost two months since the last update D: I got RF4 for Christmas...it's toomuchfunandeatsallthetimeever! But I've had this chapter in pieces for a little while at least, and so I finally got to finishing it tonight. It's not my favorite, but it's not too bad :P

My plan is for each chapter for each couple (not including the sister ones) will alternate perspective between Alicia and whoever she is paired with, so this chapter will be from Max's point of view.

Side note: there's quite of bit of RayxRosalind in this one.

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**Max&Alicia 2: Have a Little Faith**

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"Ah our honored guests! Please, come in! Come in!" Herman greeted loudly as Ray, Natalie, and Alicia stepped out of the chilled evening air and into the opulent foyer of the De Sainte-Coquille family home.

"Thank you for having us. It was very kind of you to invite us for dinner," Natalie returned the greeting with a respectful nod.

"Yes well," Herman cast a meaningful look at Ray and Rosalind as the young couple greeted one another, seemingly blind to the rest of the world, "We're practically family."

The doctor covered her amused smile with her hand, "Indeed."

Off to the side, the two older siblings of both families carefully concealed whatever thoughts or emotions they had on the subject, standing side-by-side as though they had no other choice.

"I pray everything is in order?" Max asked quietly.

"Oh please, like you had any part to play in this," Alicia scoffed in a harsh whisper, "…but yes."

Before Max could retort, the dining room doors opened and Cecilia offered a deep bow, "Excuse me sir, but dinner is ready."

"Ah, very good," Herman clapped his hands, "Everyone have a seat. I can tell you Cecilia's cooking is absolutely divine."

The elven girl blushed, "Thank you sir," she stepped out of the way as everyone filtered into the dining room. Behind him, Max could hear Alicia pause next to her friend as the maid whispered, "Is it tonight?"

He cast a glance over his shoulder at the girls and Alicia teasingly shushed the shorter girl before hurrying inside. Max narrowed his eyes.

"What?" she asked innocently as he pulled out a chair for her to sit.

"You know what," he scolded lightly. Herman sat at one end of the table, while Max sat at the other. Normally, as the first born son, he sat at his father's right hand side, but it had been agreed that Natalie would be sitting there tonight so that the two adults would be able to easily converse. Rosalind sat to Herman's left and Ray next to her and across from his sister.

"It's only Cecilia," Alicia snipped, "She can keep a secret you know. It's not like I told Mana or anything."

"Told Mana what?" Ray asked curiously. Alicia raised her eyebrows at him and he blushed, "Right…that."

"We can discuss this another time," Max explained in a low voice, taking a sip from his glass as the meal began.

Alicia sighed, "Agreed."

Despite the frosty greetings, the two of them had actually been getting along much better these past few seasons. At least…Max thought they were getting along alright. At the very least they had been united for the same cause: the continued happiness of Rosalind and Ray.

It had been an interested adventure on their part to be sure. Originally they met discreetly to discuss the progress of their siblings' relationship; comparing notes on arguments, examining their moods after a date gone good or bad. Soon that wasn't enough and they started spying on the couple's dates-only getting caught some of the time—because trying to weasel details out of passing observers just wasn't good enough. In the process Max had learned how to climb trees and Alicia discovered she was allergic to ant bites, and they both had made fools of themselves more than once but would never admit it with even so much as a blush.

Was it worth it?

So long as he could say for certain that Rosalind was happy, he would have to say so.

Was it necessary?

He tried not to ask that question, refusing to believe that all his hard work was truly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Fate had deemed Ray and Rosalind destined to fall in love with or without the meddling of an over-protective brother and sister.

Was it secretly a _little_ bit of fun to have an accomplice on this adventure?

His chewing slowed as his eyes shifted to Alicia picking at her food as though she wasn't sure it was edible.

"Do you think it's poisoned, or are you just upset that Cecilia is a far better chef than you will ever be?" he asked quietly, leaning towards her just enough to get a glare.

"That was _one_ time."

"And it's the _only_ time I've ever seen you cook."

Rosalind gave them a quizzical look, "What are you two whispering about now?"

Alicia sat back a little, "Stake-out a couple weeks ago."

The other young woman rolled her eyes, "Ah yes. You two….really just don't try to hide your nosing around anymore do you?"

"We're only looking out for you," Max gave his sister the most innocent smile he could muster.

"Why do I even bother?" was her muttered response, taking another bite and choosing to ignore the other two for the majority of the rest of the evening.

Dinner after that was fairly uneventful. Natalie and Herman discussed their respective work-loads most of the meal, having not had much time to talk together in a long while. Ray and Rosalind, of course, were absorbed by one another the entire evening, leaving Max and Alicia to eat in silence…and the latter of which to occasionally make a dramatic face at their younger sibling's discussions. Max succeeded in not laughing, but couldn't fully hide his amused smirk.

"Rosalind," Ray began, his voice coming out tenser than usual as Cecilia took his empty plate, "It's gotten rather warm in here. Would you mind joining me for a walk?"

"Not at all," the girl beamed, eagerly rising from her seat. Ray took her arm and led her from the room, but cast a backwards glance at everyone else to receive a wink and an encouraging smile from his sister and mother.

Max waited until he heard the front door close before grabbing Alicia's arm, much to the woman's surprise.

"We aren't going to chase after them tonight," she admonished, taking her arm back with a scowl, "I was planning on helping Cecilia with dishes anyways."

"That really isn't necessary," the elven girl ducked her head to hide her embarrassment.

"Exactly," Max agreed quickly, "Besides, we don't allow guests to do chores. It simply isn't done, is it father?"

Herman tilted his head to the side with a small smile, "He makes an excellent point, Alicia. We would be poor hosts to have you partake in the clean-up."

Max, "Besides, we aren't following them this time. I have a better idea."

Alicia gave her mother an uncomfortable look before sighing and allowing Max to lead them both back out into the foyer, "Really now?"

"Have a little faith," he laughed, rushing up the stairs, "Now hurry. We don't want to miss this."

Alicia rolled her eyes, but even Max could see she was trying not to smile until they came to the second floor, "Isn't this…your room?"

"I have the most honorable of intentions, I swear," he bowed, "Look, I won't even close the door."

"But what can we possibly see—" Max undid the window's latch and hoisted himself onto the sill, "Have you gone mad?!"

He looked back over his shoulder to see Alicia's mouth hanging ajar in alarm and couldn't help but chuckle, "Not entirely. The roof is hardly steep. I tried this out last night and there were no accidents as you can tell."

"Are you sure, because if you really think I'm going out there then you clearly must have fallen on your head!"

He sighed in exasperation, taking two sets of binoculars hanging from a hook nearby, "Are you coming, or aren't you?"

Alicia looked desperately at the door, debating getting her mother to check on the blond young man's sanity.

"You're going to miss it," Max reminded in a sing-song tone of voice.

"Fine…Let's just…go before my mind catches up with me."

She took his offered hand and the two carefully made their way around the corner of the roof until they were in view of the plaza and could just barely make out two figures walking together in the moonlight. It was an awkward place to sit, and there wasn't much space, but Max was too pre-occupied with adjusting the focus on his binoculars to notice.

"Where did he hide the bouquet?"

"Behind the bench to the right," Alicia pointed as the couple below headed in that exact same direction, "You know we aren't going to be able to hear from up here."

"We don't need to."

"Hmph."

Through their binoculars they watched the scene unfolding far below. Ray and Rosalind were talking/smiling/laughing/the usual. Alicia groaned when Rosalind pecked her brother on the cheek, earning a slight jab from Max's elbow.

Then Ray stepped away, finding the bouquet without a hitch, and dropped to one knee.

Max's gaze was torn from his binoculars in alarm as Alicia squealed, fearing that she must be slipping off the roof. He was relieved to find that she was instead excitedly glued to the plaza scene, and after double-checking to ensure she wasn't going to fall from their perch, he resumed watching as well.

Even from here they could faintly hear Rosalind's cry of joy as she wrapped her arms around her new fiancé.

"So tell me," Max smirked, dropping his binoculars, "did you see this coming?"

Instead of her usual snappy come-backs, Alicia was thoughtfully quiet, looking distractedly off the edge of the roof, "I don't make predictions for Ray…"

"Wait, you don't?"

She shook her head, "Never have, never will."

Max snorted, "Afraid of him being disappointed if you're wrong?"

The fire flared back up in her eyes, "Afraid of seeing a future I don't want him to have."

"So you've never even peaked?" he teased.

She glared at him a moment before growling in frustration and staggering to her feet in a huff, "Forget it. We're finished here, I'm cold, and I don't have time to waste on mocking skeptics like you."

She would have stormed off…if they weren't on the roof. But she certainly did her best to try, nearly tripping on a few shingles as she maneuvered back around the corner.

"Hey, careful!" he tried to reach for her hand, just to make sure she was balanced alright, but she gave him a warning glare that he could have sworn was laced with a hurt. Max winced involuntarily. Normally they didn't discuss fortune telling, since it always seemed to start a debate and arguing about it would be counter-intuitive to their goal. But perhaps tonight he had been just a little too comfortable to joke and think she would let it be.

He wasn't used to feeling this pit in his stomach after making such comments either. In the past it had never bothered him at all.

Granted, that was before they had really spent any time together, and lately they had been around each other a lot. Perhaps he would begrudgingly admit that they had…bonded in a way. It could even be argued that they were friends…ish.

Neither of them spoke as they headed back downstairs, just in time for Ray and Rosalind to return to the excited congratulations of their parents, and as Alicia offered her future sister-in-law a hug, Max convinced himself that Alicia must already be over it.

Though Ray asked her three times if everything was alright, seeing something in her eyes that apparently Max could not. And she didn't look his way the rest of the evening. He considered maybe he should have apologized…after the family had already left their home. Herman took Rosalind back into the dining room to begin wedding plans (namely the feast that would follow), but Max found himself lingering in the foyer, turning over his own words in his mind and feeling increasingly aggravated by them.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

Max was so absorbed by his thoughts that he nearly jumped to the second story as Cecilia's quiet voice suddenly sounded so piercingly loud to his ears.

"C-Cecilia," he brushed some invisible dust from his coat with a cough, "I'm fine. Just thinking is all. Ah…as you were."

Cecilia tilted her head to the side, glancing at the door, "I don't know what happened…but if you want to apologize, the best place to start would be to have a bit of faith."

Max gave her a quizzical look, but said nothing as she bowed and returned to the dining room to finish cleaning.

He didn't sleep much that night.

And in the morning he was waiting in the cold misty air by the docks for Alicia to show.

Which she did, like clock-work. She paused at spotting him, but did not move as he walked purposefully towards her, grabbed her hand, and pressed some coins into her palm.

It was hard to say, but looking at her face now, confused as she looked and he felt something…clicked …finally, and he found his voice come clearly, "Prove me wrong."


End file.
